Tag Archives: #WATWB

#WATWB Plans for a New School — Out of Pain comes Hope

On the last Friday of each month We Are the World Blogfest invites bloggers to join together in promoting positive news. This month, I’m delighted to be able to join in and share these plans for an innovative future school that will help Indigenous Australians to have the same level of wellbeing and life opportunities as non-Indigenous Australians.

The Garma Festival, organised by the Yothu Yindi Foundation, is usually held at the end of July. This year, for the first time in its 22-year history, like so many other things, the event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

However, the Garma Festival is not the only project of the Yothu Yindi Foundation. While they have not be so focussed on the Garma Festival, they have been able to give more consideration to the establishment of a secondary school on the site on which the Garma Festival is held.

The intention is for the school to be bilingual, teaching children in English as well as their first language. Achievement of the goal won’t be easy and faces many challenges but, I’m sure, you will join with me in wishing them success.

#WATWB Repaying the debt forward

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On the last Friday of each month We Are the World Blogfest invites bloggers to join together in promoting positive news. If you would like to join in, please check out the rules and links below.

This month I am sharing a story of a philanthropist who paid off the college loans for almost 400 students at an estimated cost of approximately $US40 million. All that Robert F. Smith (a self-made millionaire through investments in technology) asked of the students was that they “pay it forward”.

Click to read the whole article:

Billionaire to pay off entire graduating class’s student debts

As stated by #WATWB, “There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.”

I think the world could do with some more light at the moment. Please join in and share positive stories to lift the clouds.

Here are the guidelines for #WATWB:

1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.

2. Link to a human news story on your blog, one that shows love, humanity, and brotherhood. Paste in an excerpt and tell us why it touched you. The Link is important, because it actually makes us look through news to find the positive ones to post.

3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.

Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!

Tweets, Facebook shares, Pins, Instagram, G+ shares using the #WATWB hashtag through the month most welcome. We’ll try and follow and share all those who post on the #WATWB hashtag, and we encourage you to do the same.

The co-hosts for this month are:

Damyanti Biswas,
Simon Falk,
Shilpa Garg,
Mary J. Giese ,
and Dan Antion.

Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.

Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts.

#WATWB Barber makes the cut

44 Replies

On the last Friday of each month, We Are the World Blogfest invites bloggers to join together in promoting positive news. If you would like to join in, please check out the rules and links below.

Founders of the blogfest state that

“There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.”

I agree and like to join in as often as I can.

This month I am sharing a local story about a barber whose acts of kindness turned another’s life around. The barber Nicky Patti is extremely humble and doesn’t brag about the effects of his actions. Instead he says, ‘I think if everyone does their one per cent then the world would be different.’

I agree! How have you given your one per cent today?

Click here to read the whole article.

Here are the guidelines for #WATWB:

1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.

3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.

Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!

The co-hosts for this month are: Shilpa Garg, Inderpreet Kaur Uppal, Peter Nena, Damyanti Biswas, Eric Lahti.

Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.

Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts.

#WATWB Children’s Book Authors Take A Stand

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As someone who is passionate about education and children’s books, how could I not be attracted to an article titled Children’s Book Authors Are Selling More Than Books. They’re Taking A Stand?

Some of the issues authors are taking a stand about are the separation of migrant families in detention and gun violence. They are raising money, protesting in marches and writing books.

Click to read the whole article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/books/childrens-books-authors-activists-politics.html

If you would like to join in with spreading the good news with #WATWB, here are the guidelines:

1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.

3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.

Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!

The co-hosts for this month are: Eric Lahti, Inderpreet Uppal, Shilpa Garg, Sylvia Stein,and Peter Nena Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.

Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts.

#WATWB Imagination Library: Dolly Parton donates her 100 millionth book!

30 Replies

A statement of mission from the We are the World Blogfest website:

“There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.”

The co-hosts for this month are Belinda Witzenhausen, Sylvia McGrath, Sylvia Stein, Shilpa Garg, Eric Lahti . Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.

This month I am sharing a story of Dolly Parton and the 100 millionth book she has given away through her non-profit Imagination Library.

According to the article by Helena Andrews-Dyer in the Washington Post Dolly Parton Likes to Give Away Books. She just donated her 100 millionth.

The article states that

“Parton is the founder of Imagination Library, a nonprofit that started out donating books in Sevier County, Tenn., and grew into a million-book-a-month operation. Families who sign up receive a book per month from birth to kindergarten. The singer donated her organization’s 100 millionth book to the nation’s library on Tuesday.”

Knowing the enormous potential that books and reading have for changing lives by improving the chances of success, not just in school, but in life, I couldn’t go past sharing this inspiring article, especially when International Children’s Book Day is celebrated in a few days on 2 April.

Click to read the whole article in the Washington Post.

Here are the guidelines for #WATWB:

1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.

3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.

Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!

Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts.

#WATWB Vending Machines for the Homeless

31 Replies

“There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.”

This month I am sharing an inspiring story of vending machines that provide free food to the homeless.

Action Hunger, a non-profit organisation founded by Huzaifah Khaled in Nottingham, England, gives the homeless access to free food and other basic essentials such as toothbrushes and socks from vending machines. The items are accessed by use of key cards which are available through organisations that assist the homeless. Where other services are provided during restricted hours, the vending machines are available all day every day. Use of the service provided by the vending machines is considered a temporary measure for people who are working to improve their life situation.

The project Action Hunger was inspired when Khaled “learned that even access to basic necessities like food and water was sporadic and oftentimes cumbersome . . . [He] realized that there had to be a more effective way of at least ensuring the bare necessities were always available.”

The project plans to expand into the US in the near future. What a great initiative.

Click to read the whole article: These Vending Machines Give the Homeless Free Food

Here are the guidelines for #WATWB:

1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.

3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.

Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!

The co-hosts for this month are: : Shilpa Garg, Peter Nena , Eric Lahti, Roshan Radhakrishnan and Inderpreet Kaur Uppal. Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.

Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your comments. Please share your thoughts.

#WATWB #ReadYourWorld Multicultural Children’s Book Day

25 Replies

On the last Friday of each month We Are the World Blogfest invites bloggers to join together in promoting positive news. With this the first for 2018, it’s a good time to think about joining in. If you would like to do so, please check out the rules and links below.

A statement of mission from the We are the World Blogfest website:

“There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.”

The co-hosts for this month are: Shilpa Garg, Simon Falk, Lynn Hallbrooks, Eric Lahti, Damyanti Biswas and Guilie Castillo. Please pop over to their blogs to read their stories, comment and share.

This month I am sharing an inspiring story that, while it may not be “News”, was certainly news to me and maybe is news to you too. I hope it fits the criteria for sharing.

A little while ago I came across the Multicultural Children’s Book Day website. I admire the mission of the organisers to:

“not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries.”

There is certainly a need for more understanding, acceptance, empathy and compassion in the world, and it is very pleasing to see projects such as this being promoted. I’m sure you’ll agree that education of our children is a great place to start.

Used courtesy of Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day was initiated by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom, and is celebrated for the fifth time this year on 27 January with a #ReadYourWorld Twitter party!

There is much to explore on the Multicultural Children’s Book Day website; including resources such as, a list of diversity books and activities for teachers and parents, and a free Classroom Empathy Kit that includes a book list and activities to help children develop empathy. You can even sign up to get a free diversity book for your classroom.

(Note: There is also a great way for authors and publishers to help out by donating their books with multicultural themes.)

I hope you see how both these organisations are working towards making our world a more positive place for all of us.

Here are the guidelines for #WATWB:

1. Keep your post to Below 500 words, as much as possible.

3. No story is too big or small, as long as it Goes Beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.

4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD badge or banner on your Post and your Sidebar. Some of you have already done so, this is just a gentle reminder for the others.

Help us spread the word on social media. Feel free to tweet, share using the #WATWB hashtag to help us trend!

Click here to join in and enter the link to your post. The bigger the #WATWB group each month, the greater the joy!

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

A break in the Flash Fiction routine: #Flash4Storms #WATWB #FFRODEO

33 Replies

Usually at this time on a Tuesday evening (my time) I am posting a flash fiction response to the prompt by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch. But not tonight, and for good reason.

The usual weekly Carrot Ranch flash fiction prompt is on hold during the month of October, replaced by the Flash Fiction Rodeo which kicks off today. There are many prizes for both writers and readers. Check out the post for details of how you can win.

My contest runs first with a prompt about childhood ambitions. It will go live at the Ranch, and again here, on Thursday. I do hope you will join in.

You may have read my contribution to the We Are The World Blogfest with the story I posted on the weekend, #WATWB The Teacher Helping Hurricane Harvey’s Youngest Victims – And How You Can Help / A Mighty Girl | A Mighty Girl The story tells of a teacher from Texas who created the online Hurricane Harvey Book Club. The Club involves children recording videos of themselves reading books to share with children who, as a result of the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, have no access to books. Hundreds of videos were uploaded to Facebook, and the Club is also raising money to help restock classrooms devastated by the storm.

Flash for storms

Hurricane Harvey was just the first. More was yet to come with Irma and Maria following close behind. Fellow Blogger and Rough Writer at the Carrot Ranch Sarah Brentyn, who blogs at Lemon Shark has extended a helping hand to those in need with her own flash fiction challenge #Flash4Storms.

For each flash fiction response to her prompt “Help”, Sarah will donate $1 to hurricane relief. Check out Sarah’s post to find out how you can join in and lend a helping hand. Let Sarah know in the comments that I sent you, and I’ll add another dollar to Sarah’s donation.

Here’s my response to Sarah’s challenge for a story of 50 words or less on the theme ‘Help’.

Kindness repaid

He was proud, never asking for or accepting help. If he couldn’t do it, it wasn’t worth doing. He’d always be first to help others though. Never too much trouble, there was little he couldn’t do. But, one day, when his world came tumbling down, they eagerly repaid his generosity.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

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Tag Archives: #WATWB

#WATWB Plans for a New School — Out of Pain comes Hope

#WATWB Repaying the debt forward

#WATWB Barber makes the cut

#WATWB Children’s Book Authors Take A Stand

#WATWB Imagination Library: Dolly Parton donates her 100 millionth book!

#WATWB Vending Machines for the Homeless

#WATWB #ReadYourWorld Multicultural Children’s Book Day

A break in the Flash Fiction routine: #Flash4Storms #WATWB #FFRODEO

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